“They never expect you to answer” – Karoline Leavitt’s blistering response to Gavin Newsom’s three-word challenge leaves stunned reporters scrambling, as her off-script strike flips the narrative and sets off a chain reaction that could change the conversation in American politics overnight.

What started as a casual jab from California Governor Gavin Newsom turned into a political flashpoint when Karoline Leavitt fired back with a reply so sharp it reportedly left the press corps frozen in place. Witnesses say the exchange lasted only seconds, yet the tension it created has already spilled far beyond the room. Editors rushed to rewrite headlines, networks scrambled to reframe the story, and insiders whispered that Leavitt’s words had landed with far more force than Newsom anticipated. Now, the question isn’t just about the challenge itself – it’s whether her bold answer has shifted the balance in a much larger fight.

Get the full breakdown of her unexpected retort and why it has everyone talking.

Karoline Leavitt challenged California Gov. Gavin Newsom

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told California Governor Gavin Newsom to “bring it on” when a reporter asked her about his threat to sue the government over it’s demand for $1 billion from UCLA .

Leavitt, 27, slammed the California governor halfway into her weekly press briefing in the James Brady Press Briefing Room. The threat comes after Newsome challenged the Trump-led Department of Justice’s findings that there was anti-semitism on the college campus.

Leavitt smirked at the reporter’s question and told the California governor they were ready for the challenge. ” So Gavin Newsom said that California is going to sue in response to the government’s demand for $1 billion from UCLA over the DOJ’s anti-semitism findings,” the reporter stated.

Leavitt, 27, slammed the California governor halfway into her weekly press briefing in the James Brady Press Briefing Room. (Image: AP)
“Newsome has called this extortion and random, so I am wondering what the White House’s response is to Newsom on UCLA,” she added. Leavitt then fired back with, “Bring it on, Gavin.”

“This administration is well within its legal rights to do this, and we want to ensure our colleges and universities are respecting the First Amendment rights and religious liberties of students on their campuses, and UCLA has failed to do that,” Leavitt said. “And I have a whole list of examples that I will forward to Gavin Newsom’s press office if he hasn’t seen them himself.”

Leavitt then fired back with, “Bring it on, Gavin.” (Image: AP)

‘Playing with fire’

The challenging statement comes a day after Newsome issued a scathing letter to Trump about redistricting going on in several Republican stronghold states like Texas, Florida and Missouri. According to the Governor, Trump was “playing with fire.”

The challenging statement comes a day after Newsome issued a scathing letter to Trump about redistricting going on in several Republican stronghold states like Texas, Florida and Missouri (Image: AP)
“You are playing with fire, risking the destabilization of our democracy, while knowing that California can neutralize any gains you hope to make,” Newsom said in his letter. The governor went on to slam Trump and the GOP’s efforts as an “attempt to rig congressional maps to hold onto power.”

Newsom described the power grab as “an affront to American democracy.” Then, Newsom issued a threat of his own.

“If you will not stand down, I will be forced to lead an effort to redraw the maps in California,” Newsom added, later clarifying, “If the other states call off their redistricting efforts, we will happily do the same.”

The state of Texas is leading the redistricting efforts, which aim to give Republicans a slight edge in the upcoming 2026 midterm elections. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott proposed redistricting his state’s map ahead of the midterms, which would help his party retain control of the House by flipping at least five Democratic seats in the state, helping the president to push forward his policy proposals.

However, Democratic lawmakers fled the state, hoping to spoil the vote, forcing Attorney General Ken Paxton to enlist the FBI to track down the lawmakers and threatening them with arrest.

Typically, states alter their congressional districting map every decade to reflect demographic changes based on the U.S. Census, which determines how voters are grouped to elect their local representatives. Both Texas and California changed their congressional districting map as recently as 2021.